United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service
 
Title: ADVANTAGES OF LOW TEMPERATURE SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPY (SEM) TO RECORD OBSERVATIONS OF UNIQUE SPECIMENS

Authors
item Wergin, William
item Hoberg, Eric
item Erbe, Eric

Submitted to: Society of Nematology Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: April 30, 1997
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Systematic nematologists who wish to use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to help describe nematode features, are frequently confronted by three problems: 1) the number of specimens may be extremely limited; 2) the specimens are commonly shipped in alcohol and would be partially dehydrated and; 3) conventional preparation procedures, such as chemical fixation, dehydration and critical point drying often cause considerable shrinkage and distortion. To eliminate these problems a protocol was developed that enabled multiple orientations of a single specimen. In brief, a single specimen could be rehydrated, frozen to a specimens holder and observed by low temperature SEM. Following these observations, the specimen could be removed from the instrument, thawed, reoriented and refrozen for further observation.

     
Last Modified: 05/22/2013